The Houston Astros made a shocking move on Friday afternoon, reportedly agreeing to terms on a three-year, $60 million deal with Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman Christian Walker. Walker was a target of the New York Yankees before he agreed to head to Houston.
In response to this, Houston is going to have to clear money somewhere. It'll be letting multiple guys go in free agency.
FanSided's Cody Williams recently predicted the Astros would cut ties with legendary starter Justin Verlander this winter, especially after signing Walker to a pretty large deal.
"Verlander posted a 5.48 ERA and a 1.38 WHIP over 17 starts this past season and never quite looked right, much less like the dominant force he'd been so often in his career," Williams wrote. "Once again speaking to breaking up the familiarity that we've come to know with this club, that's clearly not something that the Astros are banking on any further.
"When you then factor in Verlander's age and the now-lingering questions about what he has left in the tank or if he can stay healthy, any inkling of him returning definitely seems out the window at this point."
The Astros paid Verlander over $40 million last season to be a below-average pitcher.
Verlander's career with Houston seemed to be over once the 2024 season came to a close. While there may be a landing spot for the legendary righty, it won't be in Houston.
More MLB: Astros Predicted To Cut Ties With $119 Million Star After Christian Walker Deal
English (US) ·